The distinct expressions of interleukin-15 and interleukin-15 receptor α in Behçet’s disease

Abstract

Interleukin-15 (IL-15) is a pleotrophic cytokine that is involved in the pathogenesis of diverse inflammatory rheumatic diseases. The aims of this study were to compare serum IL-15 levels and expression of its receptor (IL-15Rα) in Behçet's disease (BD) with those in other rheumatic diseases and to identify the relationship between serum IL-15 levels and various clinical parameters in BD. One hundred fifty-eight subjects consisting of 40 BD, 38 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 40 rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and 40 healthy controls were enrolled. Serum IL-15 levels were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The proportion of IL-15Rα expression on each leukocyte subset was measured by flow cytometry. Erythrocyte sediment rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured for each enrolled subject. The clinical activity index of BD was assessed for BD patients. Serum IL-15 levels in BD patients are significantly higher than those of healthy controls, SLE, and RA patients (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, and p < 0.001, respectively). Serum IL-15 levels in BD were closely related to ESR (r = 0.405, p = 0.027), but not to CRP or the clinical activity index of BD (p > 0.05 for both). Additionally, there was no difference in serum IL-15 levels between active and inactive disease states in BD (p > 0.05). The proportion of IL-15Rα expression on total leukocytes was much lower for all rheumatic diseases, including BD, than in healthy controls (p < 0.01 for SLE, p < 0.01 for RA, and p < 0.05 for BD). IL-15 and IL-15Rα system may be involved in the inflammatory process and pathogenesis of BD.

Determination of Genes Related to Uveitis by Utilization of the Random Walk with Restart Algorithm on a Protein–Protein Interaction Network

“…IL-13 is a strong immunomodulatory cytokine which is a promising mode of treatment for uveitis [67,68,69,70]. IL-15 and its receptor system is involved in the inflammatory process and pathogenesis of BD and the IL-15/Fc fusion protein has been shown to inhibit IRBP1-20 specific CD80+ T cell to decrease the severity of EAU [71,72]. An aberrantly high CNV of IL23A is a common risk factor for VKH and BD [73].…”

Therapeutic potential of IL-15 in rheumatoid arthritis

“…Active BD patients have significantly higher serum IL-15 levels compared with patients in remission and healthy controls [10,11]. Serum levels of IL-15 were markedly increased in inactive and active patients with SLE [12], but SLE patients expressed lower IL-15 levels than RA patients [13].…”

HSV-Induced Systemic Inflammation as an Animal Model for Behçet’s Disease and Therapeutic Applications

“…IL-15 is a pleiotropic cytokine involved in the pathogenesis of diverse inflammatory diseases, including BD. IL-15 is highly expressed in the serum, cerebral fluids, and ocular fluids of BD patients, whereas IL-15Rα expressing cells are lower in the peripheral blood of BD patients [ 88 ]. IL-15Rα restricts aberrant immune stimulation and decreases the risk of uncontrolled IL-15 exposure [ 89 ].…”